A new dashboard is providing clearer information on economic mobility in California and how different groups of students are progressing through college into their careers.
The California Postsecondary to Prosperity Dashboard shows that educational attainment varies widely by race and region.
For example, Pacific Islander Californians graduate high school at an above-average rate but have below-average college outcomes, according to the dashboard developed by California Competes.
Fewer Pacific Islander students enroll in college, leaving them 17 % more likely not earn a degree. Perhaps consequently, Pacific Islanders are less likely to earn a living wage or be employed than are Californians as a whole.
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The dashboard provides regional breakdowns of college success, such as the availability of advanced placement college prep courses, retention and transfer rates, students’ majors, and the number of communities the lack a college or university.
In Central California’s San Joaquin Valley, for example, 14% of Asian students attend a University of California compared to 0% of Native American and Alaska Native students.
Bachelor’s degree attainment in the region is nearly half the statewide average and there are dramatic differences by race and ethnicity. Just 8% of Latinx residents hold a bachelor’s degree compared to nearly a third of Asian residents.
The dashboard also tracks regional employment, salary and other economic measures, such as home ownership, health insurance and time spent commuting, and measures regional access to grocery stores, gas stations, banks and doctors.
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